Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Process of Molding Breech Baby into Head-Down Baby

image from here
We've resorted to some interesting measures recently in order to try to get Breech Baby (that's what we're going to name him) to turn head-down like a normal fetus. Gee whiz, what's his deal? The midwives told us about using moxibustion. So basically my pinky toes have been smoking weed (well, mugwort herb, more precisely) recently. And the apartment and our clothes testify to it. That stuff is pungent. I might have to go outside next time. In full view of the neighbors, preferably, so they can really start wondering/complaining about us.

Other methods we've been using:

  • Swimming pool acrobatics
  • Playing music to my pelvis
  • Applying frozen veggies to the top of my uterus
  • Hanging on an inversion table 
My friend from work (who just birthed her own baby yesterday!!! ack, exciting) lent us the inversion table:
At first I was hesitant about the idea. I wasn't sure what an inversion table was, and I read that it can be dangerous for pregnant women, especially those with high blood pressure. Also, it's not like we have a ton of extra space in our apartment. (Our front room looks like a wannabe fitness center with the inversion table and birth ball and exercise mat.) Tim and I have both enjoyed hanging out upside down on this thing. Also it seems like it should be really effective for the remedying of Breech Baby because I can flip back upright quickly without abdominal effort.

Although these would be effective remedies to boredom if we were bored, which I sometimes am, they've proved thus far ineffective as methods to get Breech Baby with the whole preparing-for-birth program. I'm going to be adding the following method to my list of techniques on Monday:
  • ECV (external cephalic version)
If you want to watch a weird (mostly in the sense of the musical accompaniment) video showing what this is, please enjoy the following:




The silver lining to this is that I might otherwise be getting pretty anxious at this point to go into labor because pregnancy sucks, but since laboring with Breech Baby could very likely lead to a C-section, I'd like to get him turned first.

Also, I hear the ECV procedure can be pretty painful so that could prepare me well for the pain of contractions? Give me a good opportunity to practice hypnobirthing?

Yeah, we so excited!

5 comments:

  1. My little brother was breech, and the docs had to do that ECV procedure to turn him around. Based on my mother's account, it hurt like heck. More power to you if you can withstand all the topsyturvying!

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  2. You're doing hypnobirthing? Awesome! Also, have you seen spinningbabies? If not, here's the link to everything you could ever want to know about breech babies: http://www.spinningbabies.com/baby-positions/breech-bottoms-up

    And if the ECV doesn't work, have you gone to a chiropractor? There is something called the Webster's technique that is supposed to be great for flipping breech babies. If you're interested, I can ask around and see who's the best to go to in Salt Lake.

    And here's a mp3 you can purchase from hypnobabies to help flip a breech baby: http://www.hypnobabies.com/mylink.php?id=4058#breechbaby

    Good luck! I hope the baby cooperates. :)

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  3. Good luck with the ECV!!! Sometimes the Dr will give you a valum if you ask for it, but it makes little to the pain. Maybe "Breech Baby" will turn on his own before you go in to have the ECV done!!!

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  4. I was going to recommend going to a chiropractor, too, but Tracie up there beat me to it! I don't have personal experience with the Webster technique (Forrest was breech for a while but did the fliparoo on his own), but apparently it can be extremely helpful. Let me know if you need a recommendation--I don't know if Jeff does that technique or not (I'll have to ask him) but I'm sure he or someone at his office could find a great doc for you!

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  5. Okay, and this shows you what a total wimp I am . . . I only made it through like 10 seconds of that video before I was getting nauseous watching him push on her belly like that. As you can imagine, I was THE PATIENT OF EVERYONE'S DREAMS while pregnant. A total rockstar during labor/delivery, too ;-)

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